IDK
by E.J. Cady
Summary: Something darker and different
1. Chapter 1

"It's early," Pam moaned as she felt Tara moving around on the bed.

"It's the afternoon. I gotta go," the dark skinned woman replied sounding just as sleepy as her bedmate. "You know if I don't get back in time I get hell."

Pam glared through the slits of her eyes croaking adorably, "I don't care."

Tara chuckled, "of course you don't," she stood turning the switch to the lamp to light the part of the room she could have sworn her clothes were thrown to. She and Pam were zealous when it came to matters of the flesh and everything else in between was expendable for instance clothes.

Rising on her elbow Pam pulled her sheet over her breasts as she watched Tara gather her clothes. Long blond hair fell over her right shoulder at the shift. Blue eyes traced the chocolate lines of her lover's body and her mouth watered with her appetite still not sated even after hours of pressing their bodies in a sweaty heated embrace. Tara Thornton was a forbidden fruit she plucked and tasted and she didn't mind that the means in which she got her were unethical. If she wanted to excel in ethics she would have gone to school or at the very least become a nun, but since neither option was all that appealing she reveled in the naughtier route.

Sitting upright she moved to the edge of the bed. "I've never seen someone this much of a hurry to run from a warm bed."

"You forget," Tara looked at her pointedly, "I'm running to one too."

"One of these days you're girlfriend is going to come to her senses and throw you out."

"Maybe," Tara buttoned her jeans.

Pam hooked her fingers through a belt loop pulling the woman closer swatting the hands away to undo what they had done.

Pursing her lips Tara was about to reprimand her when she felt teeth graze her abdomen down to her underwear where teeth latched on and pulled experimentally, "you're husband would be too happy to find me in bed with you."

Pam captured flesh between her teeth biting viciously until Tara grabbed her by the back of her hair and pulled her away. With the blond woman's head tilted back she pointed a critical finger at her in warning, "what the fuck?"

Grabbing the wrist holding Tara's hand with some discomfort Pam angled her head so she could kiss the forearm of Tara's hand.

"You don't know when to quit."

The blond shook her head as she nipped playfully at Tara's skin following a lick until it began a pattern Tara was mesmerized by causing her to loosen her grip. Pam didn't mind the hair pulling so she was dissatisfied when Tara was losing focus and getting distracted. The hand holding Tara's wrist guided the dark hand to the back of her head waiting impatiently for Tara to hurt her.

"Tara," she moaned when she felt Tara's knuckles graze her scalp when she got the hint and pulled her hair harder.

"Behave," she kissed Pam's mouth too quickly for the blond hurrying out of her reach to the bathroom to finish cleaning up.

From the bed the blond glared at her lover, "I hate you."

"Yea," Tara's noncommittal reply echoed from the bathroom.

"What are you doing?"

"Washing you off of me," Tara responded leaning against the bathroom sink as her lover covered in just a sheet leaned her full weight against the frame to watch.

"I like me on you," the blond smiled at the double meaning.

"Of course you do," Tara turned around wiping her hands drying with a pastel blue towel with her signature smirk that had captured Pam's attention in the first place.

They'd lived in Bon Temp long enough to see each other in passing plenty of times. However, they hadn't spoken until Tara found herself stuck on the side of the road changing a tire. Pam had, with good intentions in mind, got out of her silver Honda wearing a blue skirt and a matching cardigan with a pair of four inch white heels.

"Do you need any help?" Pam had asked in all sincerity that day not even knowing a thing about changing a tire. She'd seen a stranger on the road and stopped out of courtesy.

The shoes were the first thing Tara noticed, but they were by far the most unimpressive as her view rose all the way up a well sculpted legs, a buxom chest, and crystal blue eyes. "Yea," was the reflexive reply, "I mean I got it," she corrected that day.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Do you ever get jealous?"

"We're not going there."

Pam smirked, "it's just a question."

Tara shook her head closing the distance between them. Pam had been hinting for quite some time she wanted Tara for more than a few hours of the day. The blond was becoming restless with a tryst and it was becoming worse as their affair continued. This was the part where she would throw her to the bed and fuck her to distraction, but she had plans with Naomi tonight and the woman wouldn't understand if she cancelled. Besides she made a promise and she intended to keep it no matter how angry it made the older woman.

"You're life ain't that bad," Tara looked around the bedroom of her lover's ranch style home. Pam didn't want for anything and while she wasn't living like a conventional queen she might as well be in the eyes of the man who loved her. Why she wanted to fuck that up with an affair she didn't know, but who was she to judge when she was basically doing the same thing.

"My life ain't that great," the blond pressed, "it could be though."

"I ain't staying," Tara pressed.

"Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to sneak off, if we could be open about us."

Tara shook her head as she gave the other woman her back retrieving her jacket, "don't start."

"No Naomi no Eric—just you and me," she reached for Tara's arm turning her around shoving the woman onto her bed where she bounced until Pam straddled her with her full weight.

"You want to break his heart?" Tara tilted her head staring at the woman above her considering the remorselessness in their actions and the consequences of her proposal. "I love Naomi."

"But you're fucking me," the blonds' voice lowered. "Somehow I don't think you love her as much as you think you do."

"There you go mind reading again," Tara chuckled mirthlessly.

Pam shook her head, "I know what you want," she started moving her hips, "I know you're desires," she lowered her head to the side of Tara's ear, "and a white picket fence with Suzie homemaker ain't it."

The front door slams startling both women.

"Eric," Pam hissed jumping off of Tara.

"Shit," the dark skinned woman looked for a place to hide since the only way out was through the bedroom door and a door through the kitchen. Hearing the refrigerator door open she knew that idea wouldn't work.

"Babe is that you?" Pam called out from the bedroom beginning to dress.

"Yea," she heard the gruff answer, his boots hitting the wood floor, and then the television being turned on.

Grabbing Tara's hand she peaked out the room down the hall. Tip toeing to the kitchen with Tara following behind her being just as careful she nodded for the younger woman to go to the kitchen door while she headed into the living room to find her husband reclined in his favorite chair staring at their television box.

"Rough day at work?" she started distracting him.

He grunted then took a swig of his beer.

"Want something to eat?" she asked turning her head to the kitchen where Tara was slowly easing out of the door.

"Can I watch t.v. in peace?" he asked annoyed by her presence after a long day at the shop. All he wanted to do was let his mind settle, his body relax, and his beer to ease him into that state.

She nodded her head, "sure."

He suddenly stood up and headed to the bedroom. Pam went to the kitchen to make sure that Tara was safely gone when she heard Eric yelling for her to come to the bedroom.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You starting on dinner?"

"I was about to."

"Don't bother," he said undressing, "my sister invited us out for dinner. Some fancy restaurant or something," he shrugged not sounding in the least excited about it.

"Oh?"

"Yea," he sniffed then coughed as he made his way to the bathroom, "wear something nice," he instructed her, "and take me something out too." Eric didn't give her a chance to reply because he shut the door on her soon after he said it trusting she would do as she was told.

Pam glared at the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I've been contemplating starting over on a few or all of my stories but all that work makes me tired and so I've been on one hand proactively avoiding writing and the other hand too busy to settle my brain on one idea. This was just something I thought of and decided what the hell...


	2. Chapter 2

Tara walked into the door greeting by the comforting smell of breakfast and Naomi's singing along with their radio. It was a keepsake from her grandfather, personally Tara was surprised it still work since it was very old, but Naomi didn't mind the wear and tear and it would often accompany her girlfriend of eight years when she was cooking.

"Smell's delicious baby," Tara kissed her neck pausing in the kitchen before she hurried to the bedroom to wash up.

Throwing off her clothes she left them on the bathroom floor in a pile the way Naomi hated and vowed to pick them up later, knowing that she would most likely forget out of habit. She turned on the water letting it warm then stepped inside in the spray enjoying being clean. She did this at Pam's house earlier as soon as she got off work washing away the sweat and the factory smell. It was her ritual that she continued only because it would seem strange to Naomi if she didn't outside of the fact that she most likely had another woman's scent on her skin.

"How was work?" she heard from the other side of the fogged glass.

Her voice echoed when she replied that it was work. There was nothing particularly difficult about her job. For the most part she was dealing with boxes either making them or filling them up with the products her factory distributed to places like Walmart and Target to name a few of her company's clients. Though, on most days it was tedious work that made her feel more like a zombie than a working woman.

The glass door slid open and Naomi watched her lover cover herself with soap chewing on a piece of bacon.

"Let me have a bite," Tara leaned toward her directing the hot spray to her back which was at first sensitive to, but she got used to feel more concerned with her appetite.

Chewing on the end of her bacon she pulled it from her teeth and held it out for Tara to eat, "you should go back to day shift."

Tara chewed returning to cleaning herself letting her girlfriend complain about her hours because it wasn't the first time and it wouldn't the last. She wouldn't have described Naomi as needy, but for the last month she was feeling that the woman was becoming desperate to have her around. Tara guessed that it might have something to do with women's intuition as if there were part of her that understood that something wasn't right. The dark skinned woman drowned out her girlfriend's argument considering her affair with Pam.

Pam was older and a easy face to spot and remember. The whole town knew her from her job as a teller at the local credit union. On every occasion Tara went to withdraw or deposit money in her bank account Pam was a fixture sitting in her chair waiting patiently to tend to the next customer's needs. It was easy work and she had no idea the woman had a head for numbers until she began spending an inordinate time with her and their random conversations in bed became about their likes and dislikes, their quirks and faults, their ambitions and their fantasies. One of those days covered in sweat and letting their bodies cool off with the fan overhead she confessed she hated her job and she was unhappy in her marriage. She felt like she was growing still and Eric over time had become complacent with their life. She didn't like and wanted no part of it, but an equally stronger part of her was afraid of the implications of something as permanent as divorce.

"What do you think?" Noami interrupted Tara's train of thought.

"Huh?" brown eyes focused and the tell tale signs of an annoyed girlfriend darkened her features.

"The play?"

"The play, sure," Tara smiled trying to play off how clueless she was.

The darkness that had temporarily dampened her girlfriends face brightened as she practically threw herself against Tara's soapy wet body, "great!" she exclaimed. The celebratory hug was forgotten soon after she stepped into the shower with her naked girlfriend's chocolate sheen inspiring several naughty scenarios.

"Hi," she greeted coyly.

Tara liked this game smiling at her a new wave of arousal hitting her by surprise. Hands searched out clothes that were soaked and now clinging to her girlfriend's pale skin.

"You're wet baby."

"Hmm," she hummed running her fingers over Tara's buttocks and nipping at the collar in the way she knew it tickled.

On cue the woman shifted from her and she found her back pressed not entirely uncomfortable on the shower wall, "fuck," she gasped in time before Tara claimed her mouth and worked on her shirt and pants.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naomi looked down at Tara's sleeping form naked and on her stomach her face pressed into the pillow with her mouth opened just slightly. Smiling she knew her girlfriend would be waking up with a line of drool when she finally woke up. She hated Tara's night shift hours. She hardly saw her anymore especially when she worked in the day as well. She was a receptionist at the local clinic and her playtime had obviously made her late, but her sated body wasn't complaining. Tara had always been a vigorous lover and instinctively knowing what Naomi was in the mood for and passing her expectations each time. Damn, she wanted to marry that woman. Though the impossibility of that option killed her sending a sobering thought through her system as she finally headed out the door to her car.

Starting the ignition she let it run as she fixed the radio to her favorite station. There was one car and they had their eye on another since they had finally saved enough money to afford it. The only good thing about night shift was the fact that Tara could go to work with the car and be back hours before Naomi had to go in. Other than that she missed a normal schedule without the urgency to crunch so much in the little time allotted in for intimacy when their jobs clashed.

"Morning," she smiled at the other ladies she worked with in a small room with a large glass window that opened for their visitors.

"Morning," Sookie greeted her bending over a file she most likely wasn't supposed to be reading.

"Morning," said the red headed Baptist Arlene turning in her chair from the refrigerator she was organizing, "look at you," the woman howled good naturedly, "you're glowing."

"She's pregnant," Sookie didn't look up from her magazine.

Glaring at the blond she shoved to the other side of the office away from her chair, "go to hell."

"I think you're burning enough for the both of us. Is that the smell of recent fornication?" Sookie asked.

"You girls know how I feel about sex talk in the work place," Arlene admonished the girls knowing it would do no good and only because it was routine in her personality. She was expected to say and so she did even though she wasn't as much of a prude as she used to be.

"You started it Arlene talking about her sex glow," Sookie informed her she as much to blame if not the sole culprit.

"I ain't say nothing about a sex glow," she eyed Naomi, "you just look really…." She searched for a word that wouldn't be misconstrued which was hard for the crowd she worked with. They could be so creative when it came to making everything she said sound dirty when it came from the most innocuous places.

"Satisfied," Sookie finally helped privy to Arlene's penchant for trying to be more careful with her words.

"I am," Naomi admitted unabashedly.

"How is Tara doing I feel like I haven't seen her in ages," Sookie pressed.

"Working," her coworker didn't bother to hide the annoyance in that truth. "But," her voice lightening as she set up her work station claiming a pen and tapping it on her chin, "you'll be seeing more of her in the next couple of weeks."

"Don't tell me she's taking up streaking," Sookie gasped.

Arlene pursed her lips and Naomi completely ignored her, "she agreed to be in the Christmas play." They had very small community production that ran mostly on volunteers most of whom couldn't act, but it was more for fun and in the spirit of Christmas. This year they were doing an original play that was loosely based off Romeo and Juliet with timeless Christmas characters like Father Time, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Jack Frost, and a host of others. It was Arlene's brain child.

The red head practically jumped from excitement settling for bouncing, "how'd you get her to agree to that?" she thought of how hard it was for her to convince Terry to jump on board as stage help. Naomi had only volunteered Tara as part of the cast yesterday and she was surprised and impressed that the brunette had delivered so soon.

"It's called feminine wiles Arlene," Sookie informed her beginning in mock detail to explain the advantages of being woman.

"I asked."

"Was this before or after sex?" Sookie asked knowingly.

Naomi considered her answer, "before," a smile formed.

"Slut."

"At least I have orgasms."

"I do too," Sookie frowned leaving the office and placing her magazine in the lobby on the table with subscriptions with child and mother friendly content. She tore her address out.

"That's not an appropriate magazine to put out there," Arlene hissed disturbed that her coworker either didn't care was confused about the services they provided.

"I think it's relevant. Nobody who comes here without the knowing the basics," she picked out the magazine in here and pointed to a headline article, "fifteen bedroom secrets you'll be glad you know and mad you never knew before."

"It's not appropriate," Arlene put her foot down.

Sookie dropped the edition above the others with the bright pink and the attractive model on the cover making it stand out above the other conservative colors and their responsible messages.

"I want to be Mrs. Claus," she changed the subject when she returned to the office.

"You'll just have to audition like everyone else," Arlene explained determined she wouldn't be swayed by personal relationships and let that dictate what part went to whom. The petite blond wasn't a terrible actress, but showing favoritism might give the rest of the town the wrong idea and she desperately wanted this year's play to be a success to surpass the other flops she'd directed. But, she felt like this play she had a chance to spread her creative wings bringing romance and a good decent message about Christmas. She'd worked on it for two years in on her own and finally she had the courage to let Naomi read it. Fueled by the woman's excitement and even Sookie's when she finally gave the blond a copy as well she decided that she would nix the traditional plays and do something original.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sooo….I've never written a Christmas story before and hadn't intended this to be my first…obviously my muse has other ideas. This should be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

Her morning started off more eventful than her day was going to end it seemed. Tara put a smile on her face and Pam wondered how shamelessly happy she could be with someone she hadn't known for very long. Yes, they'd seen each other around the town, but Pam being older graduated from their local high school four years earlier so they would never have crossed paths. Car trouble, that was the reason she was disregarding the sanctity of her vows. Car trouble she smiled to herself complacent enough to daydream in the middle of the day and reminisce about Tara's too forgetting the customers standing in line for her.

"Next!" Lafayette yelled for her shaking her out of her reverie.

Blinking once then twice she saw an old woman with curly hair dyed red with a mask of makeup layered to hide her wrinkles. The teller didn't care for the look and the woman wasn't interested in small talk requesting a withdrawal sliding her card in the machine and waiting for Pam's confirmation. Seconds later after a count Pam handed her an envelope of money and wished her happy day, blue eyes trailed her departure and then to the empty space where the line usually builds.

"Would I be write to assume Pam got some much needed TLC this morning," to illustrate Lafayette shook his ass as much as he could in his seat.

Pam rolled her eyes, but she didn't answer. Pam hated keeping secrets especially her own. And if Tara wasn't so amazing then she wouldn't have felt the need to confide in someone about her affair. She was careful with whom she told knowing that Lafayette wasn't as morally sound or pretended to be like some of their coworkers or the church going hypocrites in their town. He was more honest than the rest of them about his lifestyle and his woes as a gay man in a small town, but he did well with the bullshit he had to deal with and Pam admired that so when he became the first male teller for their credit union she made it a point to make him feel welcome. The hospitable part of her demanded it and there was an even more lonely part that wanted a friend that Eric wouldn't talk to. Her husband unfortunately was a homophobe and to this day disliked the idea of a….what was the word he used? A faggot, she grew angry thinking about it, he didn't want someone like Lafayette touching his money. The principle was as ridiculous as the childhood worry of cooties. Though it worked to her advantage because now she had a friend totally disconnected from her husband who she could share her most valued secret—her affair. Still self conscious she didn't give away Tara's true sex, she felt that might have been too obvious.

"He came this morning," she said in hushed tones biting the inside of her cheek enjoying the sensational memory.

"Do tell."

Blue eyes looked around self consciously, not here, never here. There were too many eyes and too many people trying to police everyone else's morals. All it took was the wrong word or phrase to be overheard and her marriage would be over and Pam while she wasn't happy wasn't ready to give up eight years. She enjoyed Tara to the point where she was afraid to give how deeply she felt a name, but it was there to be unspoken and thought of constantly.

"Lunch then," Lafayette wasn't taking no for answer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Pine Café was a local wrap shop that also specialized in pastries. It opened an hour before the afternoon ready for the lunch rush and because the food was great there was always a lunch rush.

Everywhere Pam went she saw everyone getting ready for the Christmas holiday. It was the end of November and Christmas trees were already going up. The Pine's tree was artificial and white with blue Christmas lights wrapped around it and a red cloth sat at the base and at the top a pale cherub faced angel with brown hair with hands clasped in prayer judged them all. She would have preferred a star than eyes looking down on her.

"I hate this seat," her eyes looked at the angel and Lafayette didn't need to follow her gaze to know what she meant. Most of the tables were taken by the time they got there and it was one of the few tables left they could be seated. But it was a lesser of two evils because the other areas available where too close to the rest of the nosey patrons.

"I was promised this humongous tree at Halwart's farm last year on account of how they fucked up my living room when they were delivering it."

"And you want another humongous tree?" Pam didn't see the logic in trusting the same company with an even larger load.

"Can we say free," he pointed out.

"A fake one is less of a hassle and it's still pretty."

He shook his head disagreeing, "we didn't come here to talk about trees unless it's code for how his tree got all up in your house," he flicked his fingers suggestively as his eyes lowered.

"Can I get ya'll anything?" the waitress came by and asked having given them enough time to look over their menus even though she knew what they would order. On occasion they surprised her, but for the most part Danielle expected Lafayette to order the honey mustard and Pam would do the same and the only thing that would different were the sides. Lafayette like the waffle fries and Pam ordered a fruit bowl or a side salad liking the healthier option.

Today she chose a fruit bowl. Danielle handed them their drinks and confiscated their menus giving them an estimated time to expect their lunch.

"We almost got caught, Eric got off work early."

Brown eyes widened, "shit, what happened?"

"I snuck him out the kitchen door; Eric was in the living room watching tv."

"Damn that was close."

"I should end it," she toyed with the idea whenever she realized that no good could come out of the truth. And Tara, while they had fun together, was still in love with her girlfriend and Pam's complacency hadn't made her brave enough to do something about her unhappy marriage—like leaving Eric.

"Why the hell would you do that? He makes you glow," her coworker pointed out as he stabbed at his ice with a straw.

"The sex is," she stopped and lowered her voice, "the sex is awesome." Biting her lower lip to stop a full watt smile she wished their waitress hadn't taken their menu to give her something to hide her blush.

"Girl, have fun," he suggested. "If Eric's not doing what he's supposed to do ain't no harm in getting someone else to."

"He works twelve hour shifts," she excused Eric's lack of libido.

"Ain't no man that tired," Lafayette shifted judgmentally. He'd never met Eric, but he saw him hanging around a crowd of friends who made his life a living hell in high school. He couldn't like him on principle and hearing Pam's side of things he didn't want to know anymore about him outside of the stories she shared. "When are you going to see him again?"

She shrugged, "he's got a girlfriend so that makes things difficult," she shrugged.

"Well well well," both tellers cringed when they heard the overly chipper voice of a familiar redhead whom neither of them cared for, "here for lunch I see."

Danielle came from the other side of Arlene to hand off their lined black wired baskets.

"I don't really like the honey mustard," she pointed out when Danielle left holding her purse protectively.

"Good to see you Arlene," Pam spoke knowing the woman was on the hunt for more victims for her play. If the trees and the Christmas lights didn't tell her what time of the year it was she could read it all in Arlene's demeanor. She got nice to people as the year ended because it grew closer to her shows and while most of the community didn't care of her self-righteous attitude they dealt with it for a month to share in being part of a list of people who get their names in the paper in article about the Christmas extravaganza.

"Now," her accent seemed to deepen, "ya'll know what time it is and I been working on something really special this Christmas, it's an original play written by yours truly," she was gushing with pride. "Auditions start like they always do for three days on the first weekend of December I encourage ya'll to come out and show off your acting shops."

"We don't act," Lafayette spoke up.

"You're kind have always been known to add a little flare to things."

Sometimes the woman could be painfully oblivious.

"I'm going to need a few more volunteers than I usually do for this one and I though immediately of you two."

"We're flattered, but you know this month is really stressful for a lot of people. You know how it is. So much to do and only a month's time to do it."

"Believe me. It's for a good cause and I'm not taking no for answer," she began searching through her brown leather purse. The buckle swung as she pulled out a flyer triumphantly. "Here," she placed it on the table. "I'm pulling out all the stops I even got the community Arts Council working on a custom set for me. And I've already got a few people who are coming out like Naomi, Sookie, and Naomi even roped her girlfriend into auditioning," she looked pointedly at Lafayette as if that would earn her points with him.

"A Romeo and Juliet inspired Christmas huh?" Pam bit a pineapple as she turned the flyer in her direction reading the description. She was proud she hadn't reacted to hearing Tara's name even though her mind was moving a million miles per minute until it clicked how she could use this news to her advantage. "This really sounds interesting."

Lafayette's eyebrows hiked in curiosity.

Pam looked across the table at her companion, "I think we should go."

"What?"

"Really?" Arlene smiled happily, pulling out her pen writing on the flyer the time and place where the auditions would be held and an example of plays they could recite and make themselves look good. "And you could sing too, that's always a plus," she added at the end. "Enjoy your lunch."

Picking up her wrap Pam halted on her much anticipated bite when Lafayette held her gaze.

"What?"

"You want to get yourself involved in a original play by Arlene?"

"I think it will be fun."

"Where's all this Christmas cheer coming from?" he asked suspiciously.

"We spend every Christmas doing the same thing. I think following Arlene's example of doing something different would be good for us this year."

"I'm not going."

"You won't be alone," Pam reached out a comforting hand to cover his, "didn't you hear she's recruiting your kind too," she said in all seriousness barely dodging a waffle fry flying at her.


End file.
